Healthy Habits: Blue Friday

Blue September, an international awareness campaign developed to increase awareness of prostate cancer, is asking Americans to observe Blue Friday September 14^th.  Moms, dads, grandparents, kids, schools, churches and retail establishments are encouraged to answer the call to action, “Get Blue! Face Up to Prostate Cancer,” by wearing blue or painting their faces blue this Friday.  

According to Dr. Howard Sandler, a radiation oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, more than 240,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 33,000 died from the disease in 2011. One new case occurs every two minutes and a man dies from prostate cancer every 15 minutes.

Joining the California Blue September team as sponsors this year are California Walnuts, Varian Medical Systems, 91X Radio and Men’s Health magazine. The good news is that many deaths from prostate cancer can be prevented by early detection. Here are some things men can do during the month to support Blue September:

• Eat right (including walnuts) and exercise.
• Know your family history and share it with family members.
• Do your research; be an active member on your healthcare team.
• If you are over 40 years-old, find a physician you trust and talk to them about developing a proactive prostate care plan.
• Talk to your peers and friends; make prostate cancer something to talk about.
• If you are given a diagnosis of prostate cancer, do not panic—detected early, it is highly treatable. Even in cases of advanced disease, there are more effective treatment options than ever before.

For more information follow on USA Blue September on Facebook and @BlueSeptemberUS.